Heart of Light
by celestia193
Summary: Sequel to Flames of Gold. The war is over, and now Zuko, Ciara, and the rest of Team Avatar have a whole world to clean up after a century of violence. It's going to be a long, hard road, but they're never alone. Their friendships are put to the test as conflicting ideas arise, and international conflict seems imminent. I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
1. It Begins With A Letter

**I promised a sequel, and it is a sequel you shall receive. Unfortunately, since I didn't have this story written out beforehand, the updates are going to be slower. I'm also juggling several fanfiction projects (Inuyasha, Naruto, Fairy Tail, etc...), as well as finishing up midterms. English and Geography finished, only Anthropology is left. Then I get a whole week off to do whatever I want...and homework.**

 **I finally got the motivation and the inspiration to write, funny how that seems to happen right around exam time when I'm supposed to be studying.**

 **I'm going to warn you all right now, I am planning to writ smut. *faints* I have been studying hard (teehee) to try and get a feel for good smut writing. So this gets an M rating. Though frankly it should be a given since anyone who's seen the Legend of Korra knows that most of the Gaang ends up with kids.**

 **So sit back, relax, and enjoy. I'll try to update again soon, and I've already got the next chapter in progress. But sometimes I just get writer's block, and there's nothing I can do about it. This sequel will switch P.O.V.s, since I've finally gotten better at doing that (thank you Fairy Tail for your effective lessons). So first up, a look at Zuko.**

 **Cheers!**

* * *

Zuko's P.O.V.

They all drive me mad.

That is the only way to describe the people around me. The first thing I did after the coronation was to replace most of the officials. Loyalty to my father has no place here now that I'm trying to clean up his mess. And turning the Fire Nation over to Azula, even for only a couple of days didn't help the situation either. Not only did she traumatize and fire the palace staff, but she completely upended half of the furniture in the palace during her crazed rants.

Azula is now safely locked away in a place where I hope she'll get the help she needs. I felt guilty about the idea of locking her in a cell, so I decided on a form of pseudo house-arrest, where she can get some of that therapy that she needs.

My father, on the other hand, gets no such sympathy from me. He's locked up in prison, where he can't threaten anyone ever again. Though Aang made sure of that when he stripped him of his firebending. Until Aang explained to us what he'd done, I had no idea that there was a way to take someone's bending away. And the thought actually scares me a little.

Aang left a week and a half ago, after helping me to remove most of the officials from their stations. They put up more than a little fuss over it. But it was better to involve him than Ciara. She has the other half of the country to take care of and rebuild. She won't have much time to spare helping me to displace all the greedy nobles who care more about status and tradition, than actually doing something to help rebuild the world and this country.

I'd like to be helping Aang to clean up the rest of the world, but I have to clean up at home first. I can't do much good for the world if I'm fighting a battle here as well.

While I've tried to stay optimistic, it's hard to follow through with Aang's advice to keep smiling. It seems like every day, I unearth another threat, another traitor, or another of my father's spies. He may be imprisoned, but it's clear that he still has some influence within reach of me.

After working a very long day, I retire to my room and slump onto my bed. This is so hard… I knew that being Fire Lord wouldn't be easy, but I feel so drained. And it's only going to get worse…

There's a soft knock on my door, so I sit up quickly. "Come in."

The door opens slowly, and I stay on guard until I see one of the new messengers standing there. _Lee, I think. I swear… there's a million Lee's…_

He bows quickly and hands me a scroll. "My Lord, this letter came for you earlier. We could not identify the seal, but we dared not open it, as it is addressed directly to you."

That worries me a little, though I can't say that I would be pleased if they were to start reading letters for me. "Why?" I look over the scroll and find the seal. And he's right, it's a seal that I've never seen before either. "Who could it be from…?" My name is written on the back in handwriting that I've never seen before.

He coughs quietly. "However, though we could not identify the seal, we believe it to be from Ember Island. There are small traces of volcanic soot mixed with sand on the paper. And due to the intricacy of the seal, I would guess that it is from Her Highness."

Ciara… I peel open the scroll, being careful not to damage the seal. If it is her seal, then I want to memorize it for future reference.

The scroll rolls open in my hands, and the handwriting on the paper flows like water, instead of looking rigid and precise. And the first few words confirm my suspicion.

I turn to my messenger and nod. "Thank you, you may go."

He bows and retreats from the room, leaving me alone with the letter in my hands.

 _ **Dear Zuko,**_

 _ **I hope that you're doing well. I'm sure that kicking out all of the unwanted officials is taking a lot of your energy right now. I'm sorry that I'm not there to help you, dealing with them sounds a lot more fun than what I'm dealing with. I would rather be yelling at someone than trying to come up with plans to turn around an economy in such dire straits. And cleaning house sounds much more entertaining than actually cleaning up my house.**_

The thought of her sitting still long enough to come up with an economic plan almost makes me laugh. I don't doubt that she could do it, I just think that it would be funny to see her trying to sit still. She's even more restless than I am. And she used to a lot more adventure than I am.

 _ **I also hope you know that I worry about you. I know very well how governments work. And because of that silly flaming headpiece of yours, people are going to try and kill you, so watch your back. And if something looks suspicious, don't ignore it. I'm not saying not to trust people, that leads straight into paranoia. Just be careful who you do trust. If you don't, it's going to come back to bite you in the butt, and we both know it. Then again, you're probably used to your life being in danger, so try not to stress out any more than usual.**_

 _ **And before you ask, yes, I'm doing fine, and I'm perfectly safe in my volcano palace. Piandao has been visiting for a week, and he helped me to brush up on my calligraphy skills. As you can probably imagine, they'd gotten a little rusty since I haven't had much need for them since I was about five. Luckily, I pick up skills quickly, especially ones that just need a little help recovering. On that note, I hope that my handwriting is legible. Piandao says that it's fine, but I think that he just wants to put a smile on my face instead of telling me straight out if my handwriting sucks or not.**_

 _ **Aang and the others have been by to visit, and they helped me go through all of the sections in the library. It took forever to find the catalogs. But once we did, we managed to find all sorts of rare books. And some of them are history books, very detailed ones. I'm sure that some of your scholars will want to take a look at them once I can get them organized. They detail a lot of things that Sozan's historians might have left out of the official history texts.**_

 _ **The gang left a few days ago, heading to the Earth Kingdom to help King Kuei get settled back in. After the White Lotus took back Ba Sing Se, the army went into the wilderness to track him and his bear down. According to Piandao, Bumi found him down by Omashu, hanging out with these singing nomads that we met while traveling to Omashu to find Bumi again. Because we all know that went well.**_

I can almost see her rolling her eyes as the sarcasm drips off the page. I'd gotten to hear more than a few stories about the traveling they did after the North Pole. It was just one of the ways that Sokka decided to pass the time. And while half of the stories might have been exaggerated, judging by the looks that everyone else gave him, that was still one of the funnier stories. Something about pranking the guards with a pentapox plague to get the citizens out of the city. Creative, but a little gross to hear about.

 _ **I'm going to be holding some meetings with the tradesmen, artisans, and fishermen of the islands. We need to come up with some plans that will be customized for each area in order to maximize economic production, without destroying the environment. I've already seen too many places that became uninhabitable because of poor management, and I'd rather not let that happen again on my watch. The people need a place to live, and I'm going to make sure they have it.**_

 _ **In other news, I'm planning on hiring some workers to rebuild the front porch. It's not in the greatest of states, though I've managed to clear away most of the vines and debris. I know that it's a bit silly to be thinking about restoring a palace, but it's not as though I'm lacking in money. There's so much gold and treasure in here, that hiring people to fix the palace will be more beneficial to them than to me. And I'm going to ask them to do some restoration work on the inside as well, since parts of the palace are a little run down.**_

 _ **Now for the good news. Since I've lived in the Earth Kingdom most of my life, I've managed to strike a few deals with some of the friends I made over there. If all goes well, then I should be able to convince some of them to take an extended vacation here on Ember Island so that they can train a few tradesmen and artisans. Something else I want them to look at is the glass roof panels of the archives. I think that if I can get someone to take up glass-work using the volcanic sand, then it can become one of our major exports. We've got more than enough of it lying around, so I'm sure that no one will miss some of it.**_

She's definitely got a point there. Ember Island has beaches that go on forever. I unroll the scroll some more, since her letter seems to be going on forever. It's like she's trying to give me every possible update just so that I don't worry about her.

 _ **Well, since I know that if you've managed to read this far without throwing the scroll across the room in frustration, then it means that you're either very bored, or determined to finish reading. If it's the former, I'm sorry that I'm not there to make things less boring. And if it's the latter, then I'm flattered that you find my little report of a letter to be that interesting. If you have thrown it across the room, but picked it back up anyway, then I applaud your tenacity.**_

 _ **Anyway, stay safe and always remember to smile. You're less scary when you smile. Don't frown, otherwise your face will get stuck that way. And it would be such a shame if you lost that adorable smile of yours. Make some friends, and don't forget to unwind once in a while. If you're surrounded by people who only address you formally, then you'll go mad, and eventually forget that you actually have a name of your own. I swear, if I hadn't threatened to order Piandao to call me by name, I would probably start believing that 'Your Highness' was my name.**_

 _ **We've got a lot of work ahead of us, so do what you can on your end, and I'll do what I can on mine. Remember that you're not in this alone. And if you ever feel like tearing your hair out, come to Ember Island for a vacation. I know where there's some secret hot springs, and they're incredible. Five minutes, and the stress just disappears. No one is going to benefit if you work yourself so hard that you get sick. What I'm saying is to take care of yourself.**_

 _ **And to think, it's only been a few weeks since we were all flying around on Appa, heading who knows where. Maybe when we've finally got things worked out, we can all go on another trip together. And maybe then Aang would actually leave us alone for once.**_

I nearly choke reading that. I mean, it's true that Aang always started interrupting us whenever we were alone, but for her to be so forward about it… _Good thing they didn't open up the letter. Who knows what they would have said._ Thankfully, the last part of the letter is short and sweet.

 _ **Things are busy, and I don't have much of a chance to leave home right now. But if you need me, just send me a letter and I'll be there soon.**_

 _ **All the best and missing you dearly,**_

 _ **Ciara**_

The letter ends there, and I feel a smile tugging at my mouth. _Sounds like things are going well for her. She's keeping busy at least. And with Piandao there, I guess I don't have to worry about her safety._

I read over the letter again, memorizing every word. It's a welcome reprieve from all of the stiff and formal reports that I've been looking over. Her words are warm and familiar, and they soothe some of my agitation.

After carefully rolling the letter back up, I glance over at my desk and smile. Might as well… I move from my bed to my desk and smooth out a roll of paper, before wetting an inkbrush.

 _Dear Ciara…_


	2. Moving Forward

**Sorry for the kind of late update. I got a lot of inspiration for my Fairy Tail fanfic, so I spent a whole week just pumping out chapters for that story. Then I had to deal with a mountain of homework, which induced some pretty horrific writer's block. And at the end of this chapter, I will explain one of the other reasons why I got writer's block.**

 **Cheers!**

* * *

It's been a month since Zuko's coronation, and three weeks since I've been living on Ember Island. As promised, the islands are mine to rule, which means that any land that isn't owned privately, now belongs to me, and anyone living in the islands now answers first to me. But that's not the most important part. What really matters is that while Zuko focuses on the damage that the Fire Nation has done to the rest of the world, I can focus on the damage that has been done to the Fire Nation. Namely, to the islands, which have been suffering from extreme poverty, and rather hopeless situations, since Sozin's original invasion.

Fortunately, all of my time in the Earth Kingdom gave me many opportunities to observe the mechanics of trade, and the ebb and flow of the economy. And I believe that by using my accumulated knowledge, I will be able to solve the serious financial crisis of the citizens of the islands. And with all of the treasure that remains safely inside my palace, I have more than enough funds to put all of my plans into action.

And first on my agenda is to employ some workers, and some specialists, to repair and reconstruct the front of the palace. It's been in ruins for so long that it's going to take quite a lot of work to clear everything away and rebuild it. Thankfully, I can cut a few days of work from it all by myself, by carefully burning off all of the forest's overgrowth, and exposing the ruined section.

Of course, since the palace has been vacant for a century, there was the issue of recruiting servants. But thanks to Azula dismissing all of her servants in her paranoia induced craze, as well as the staff of the Fire Lord's palace, Zuko and I could pick and choose from the returning servants, since Zuko definitely doesn't need so many servants to wait on him alone.

Now, I've got my own staff to keep things neat and orderly, as well as to clean out any dust and dirt that might have accumulated. And the best part of the deal for them, is probably that I'm pretty independent, I don't ask too much of them, and I don't take joy in tormenting them like Azula did.

And like every morning, as I'm getting out of bed, Tyra comes into my room with a hairbrush, and some perfumed oil that her family makes. "Good morning Ma'am. Would you like me to brush your hair?"

I smile at her and nod. "That would be nice, I have people to meet with today." I've scheduled the first set of meetings to take place today, and my guests should be arriving in a few hours.

I sit by the window of my room and look over the edge of the volcanic crater as she applies some of the oil to the brush and starts running it through my hair. "The steward has sent for the people you requested. He said that they should be arriving at midday. Would you like to eat now? Or would you prefer to eat when they arrive?"

The question is one to consider carefully. "I think that building a good relationship with them will be wise. Can you tell the kitchen to prepare a luncheon for…say half a dozen people? Oh, make that seven. Piandao should be attending today as well."

"Of course, Ma'am." She puts down the brush and pulls gently on my hair, tying it back into a bun and a hanging braid, wrapping the curls around my tiara carefully. It took her only a week to master putting it in, though I'm more than used to doing it myself. There's something relaxing about having someone else putting my hair up, and I can gaze aimlessly out the window at the sky while she does that.

* * *

Three hours later, I walk into the main hall, fully dressed and ready to get started with the meetings. From the main door, the steward is leading in three men and two women. And from the looks of it, after seeing the less than impressive exterior, they're blown away by what's inside.

I put on a smile to greet my guests. "Welcome to all of you. I hope that your journey here went well."

One of the men nods as he turns to me. "It went well enough, it was longer than I'd have liked though."

That makes me have to suppress a laugh. "I see. Well, on the bright side, at least you weren't stuck flying on a bison for two days straight over the ocean on the way to the cold and wet North Pole. That's not an experience I would wish on anyone." I allow myself a wry smile as I remember that particular trip. Then I motion towards the dining hall. "We can talk in here."

My guests follow me into the dining hall, and I see Piandao waiting for me. He bows slightly. "Princess Ciara."

I incline my head and gesture to the table, already set up for guests. "Well, let's sit, eat, and start these negotiations, shall we?"

* * *

After a tiring, but productive luncheon, my guests disperse as they leave to either examine the palace, or return home. Those that remain will be looking at the damage, or at the peculiar architecture. And they will either be trying to decide on ways to restore it, or reproduce it.

We covered everything from fishing and agriculture, to artistic goods, covering both domestic and foreign trade. Because of that, it took two entire hours to eat a single meal. And taking that long to eat is definitely not something I'm used to. After so long on the go, it's quite a strange feeling, sitting down at a table for hours to eat with people I barely know.

Nevertheless, that was a very successful meeting if I do say so myself, despite the time it took. But with it over, I head for the library. There is a reading area there, with couches that I can lie on while I read. It should be nice and relaxing to lie back on the couches and look up at the sky through the glass windows.

Half an hour into my break, I hear footsteps coming towards me. I open my eyes and see Piandao walking into the library. "Piandao? Have you come here to read? Or is there something going on?" Best to cover all of my bases.

He smiles and takes a scroll from his sleeve. "A letter just arrived for you. It has the Fire Lord's seal."

"Zuko!?" _Then this means that he got my letter._ I take the letter from Piandao and carefully peel off the wax seal. The letter rolls open in my hands, and I'm greeted with what is clearly Zuko's handwriting. I smile up at Piandao. "Thank you. I' sure that I will enjoy reading this."

He smiles back and heads towards one of the bookshelves. "I think I will borrow one of these history books, if you don't mind."

I wave my hand at him. "Go ahead. They deserve a little air after being on those shelves for so long." He proceeds to start choosing a book, and I focus on the letter in front of me. Thankfully, Zuko's handwriting is impeccable, and it's easy to read.

 _ **Dear Ciara,**_

 _ **I was happy to get your letter, and it's good to hear that you're doing well. I was worried that you would have a hard time settling in, but I guess that having Piandao there to help you must be making things easier.**_

 _ **Things here are going about as well as you can expect. There's a lot of resistance coming from the officials that still have loyalty to my father. And I've already received more than a few death threats. Thankfully, I've got a few of the Kiyoshi Warriors here, and they're proving to be better security than I expected. If someone's made an attempt on my life yet, then I don't know about it, and I probably have them to thank for it.**_

 _ **By the way, your handwriting is perfectly fine. I actually think it's some of the best I've ever seen. It's much prettier than some of the rigid writing we have here. Piandao must be very proud. Or very impressed. No one would think that you'd been living out in the woods for so long.**_

 _ **Getting your letter was a relief. I've been dealing with so many grim-faced officials lately, trying to offer me all sorts of nonsensical advice, that I really was about ready to tear my hair out. It's hard not having Uncle here, I could really use his advice right about now.**_

 _ **I'm still not entirely sure about how safe it is for you to be living inside of a volcano, but if your palace has survived this long, then I guess it's not going to spontaneously collapse. I still hope that you'll find someone to reinforce it. Maybe Toph, she should be able to pull off something like that.**_

 _ **In other news, I'm planning on gathering up reports from all over the colonies to see what the situation is there. You would think with how long they've been there that they would be reporting back on a regular basis, but from what I can tell, if you're sent to the colonies, then it means that the officials just don't want to deal with you anymore. The reports I do have are disorganized and not very helpful.**_

 _ **Dealing with the aftermath of a century of war is not what I'd imagined this to be when I was a kid. Back then, I thought that by the time I was sitting on the throne, the war would be over, and the Fire Nation would be ruling everything. Now, I'm glad that it didn't happen.**_

 _ **Basically, I'm glad that you're here to help me. I don't know if I would be able to fix all of the problems here on my own. This job is just too big for one person to handle all alone.**_

I smile lightly at the letter. _You doofus. There's no way we would have left you to deal with this all alone. Aang and the others are doing what they can while flying across the world, and we're doing what we can here. We all want the same thing, and we're all doing everything we can to achieve that. Once we've got some traction, we'll start showing some real results._

 _ **Once all of this settles down, I hope that you'll come visit. Or maybe I'll take you up on that offer and visit you. One of these days, I think I'm going to need a vacation. No paperwork, no census data, no one screaming half-baked facts and claims in my ears all day. Just a little bit of time to relax, and hopefully get some decent sleep.**_

 _ **I know that this is a poor substitute for saying it face to face, but really, thank you. Knowing that you're here to help put the country back together really helps to keep me sane. And if you have any ideas or advice that you want to share, feel free. Spirits know, I'll need it.**_

 _ **All my love,**_

 _ **Zuko**_

My smile grows wider by the end of the letter. And I can just imagine how red Zuko's face must have been writing half of that. Or maybe how red it would have been if he'd gotten caught writing to me. He probably had other things to do with his time, rather than spending it writing back to me. But it feels nice to have a letter from him. Though I'm kind of sad that this is what it's going to be like for a while. Exchanging letters while trying to work out solutions for the problems we find on a daily basis. It seems like there's just no end to them.

 _Speaking of problems…_ I roll the letter back up and put it on the table next to the couch. Getting to my feet, I walk to one of the bookshelves, running my fingers along the spines of the books as I search for what I need. _Geology of the Fire Nation…_ If he wants advice, then I'm going to do my research first. He's been busy with political problems, so giving him a little help in the economic department should be more useful than anything else. And natural resources are something that our volcanic nation has in abundance.

 _Here it is._ I pull one particularly thick book from the rows of tomes and bring it back to the couch. Flipping it open, I look for the index, which is sorted by region. Better start reading… I lie back on the couch, the book open in my lap, and delve into studying the rocky landscape of the entire Fire Nation.

* * *

 **Alright, so I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter, I decided to skip over the actual negotiations, since they would have been rather dry and used a lot of political and economic terminology, and no one reads fanfiction for that (at least I don't think they do). Now on to why I got writer's block, apart from the homework overload, that is. It's a long explanation, but I hope it's worth reading.**

 **I deleted the reviews that the person wrote, but there were some reviews on "Flames of Gold" that really got to me. Basically, this person criticized one of the chapters, and I really didn't like it. Well, I don't like negative reviews much anyway, since they make me lose inspiration, and aren't helpful in the slightest (at least most of the time, constructive criticism is one thing, but most negative reviews are straight up unhelpful). But this one in particular really just pissed me off. And that's impressive, considering how much patience and tolerance I've got.**

 **I know, it's not really normal to be addressing this in the notes, but I really feel like I have to in order to move on to more inspired writing, plus it's almost like a PSA. This person, whose identity I do not know, nor would I share it if I did, wrote that he/she was not going to continue reading the story because they did not believe in sex before marriage. Well, to point out the obvious to anyone who DID read to the end of the story, not only did that not happen, but honestly, there was barely anything that even got to SECOND BASE. *cough* Cock-blocker Aang *Cough***

 **But that wasn't what pissed me off. No, what did it, and made me actually write this little rant, is that this person blatantly shoved their views where they were not wanted. I don't care whether you believe in sex before marriage or not, but don't you shove it in my face just because you don't like it. (To be fair, I barely even believe in marriage to begin with. To me, it's seems more like an onerous obligation than anything else. At worst, it's something that ruin's someone's humanity and psychologically damage everyone around them, at best, it's a beautiful, dream-like fantasy. This, of course, is coming from someone whose parents had a dysfunctional marriage that ended in divorce, meaning that I've seen the ugly side to it. My personal opinions, don't take them to heart, you can believe whatever you want to believe. And if you are married, and think it's the greatest thing in the world, congrats, you're lucky, or you just worked hard enough to make it awesome.)**

 **So, if anyone has any illusions about making those kinds of comments on my stories, know that I am a very opinionated person who places a high value on human rights and freedom. I don't like people who think that their narrow-minded views on how society should behave should be applied to everyone. So if you are one of these people who thinks anything along the lines of "sex before marriage is bad" or have something against homosexuality or gender fluidity, then I would advise you to leave this site and stop reading fanfiction. You will find more of these types of stories in the romance section than anything else (I've got two bxb ships that I read, one is sort of a crack (StingxRogue), and one is canon (Solangelo), two different series though). If you can tolerate the abundance of these stories, or even enjoy them, then please, enjoy this website to your heart's content.**

 **Just don't make any rude comments shoving narrow-minded, political or religious views on other people on my stories, using them as an excuse to stop reading. If you don't like what you read, then just stop reading, don't give a blatantly offensive reason for why. If this request is not respected, I promise, I will use my exquisite vocabulary to tear you a new one. And I'm sure that other writers will appreciate not having those kinds of comments on their stories either, despite the inevitability of them still showing up. They're offensive, ill-thought out, ignorant, and just straight up rude. I try to be as open-minded as possible, and I succeed most of the time. But I only have so much tolerance for fools. Please, do not be a fool.**

 **If this little rant of mine has offended you, then I will not force you to keep reading this story. Not that I'm forcing anyone in the first place. Just know that if anyone makes the aforementioned comments, I will delete them if possible. If there are no further comments of the like, I will not bring this up again. And if in reading this, you missed the point. The point I am trying to make is that I don't want comments with false accusations that attack the morality or behaviour of my characters, especially if you don't read all the way to the end.**

 **And for anyone who actually read this far and agrees with me, you have helped to restore a little of my waning faith in humanity. I still don't have much of it, though. That's why I write. And why I get so worked up about topics like this.**

 **Anyway, rant over, peace out. And I'll try to update again when I can get the inspiration for the next chapter.**


	3. Plans for Harmony

**Wow, I honestly didn't think that anyone would like my little rant. It's just what happens when I get mad, though I usually get mad for pretty good reasons (I wonder if that was a good reason...). Anyway, moving on. Time to get into some of the storyline from the comics, or at least start building up to it. Which means that the Harmony Restoration Movement is on the way.**

 **I'm sorry in advance if you don't like reading letters, or long-distance relationships. But it just fits into the story (for now), so bear with it, since I can't just jump right into the later stuff without dealing with the immediate problems. Besides, I feel like it gives some good depth to them, a look at the two of them when they're (sort of) pining for each other, but working their way through it to deal with their respective responsibilities.**

 **They'll see each other again when things start getting a little out of control. Because someone needs to play the team mediator…again. And who better than the one who spent the most time smacking sense into them?**

* * *

Zuko's P.O.V.

I thought that it was hard on my sanity before, when it was only the advisors yelling in my ear. Sokka is the last thing I need right now. The problem is, I can't get rid of him. No matter how much I want to, there's no way to get rid of him and his constant talking. It's worse than Katara's nagging.

The reason that I can't get rid of him is because he's the one Aang brought with him to discuss our plans for the Harmony Restoration Movement. Which means that he's the one annoying me the most. I almost would have preferred listening to Uncle's jokes. And not the funny ones.

"So, like I was saying, if we start moving back these colonies first, we can get through them quickly." Sokka points to different spots on the map, mostly in the southern Earth Kingdom. "They haven't been there long, so it'll be easier for them to pick up and move."

"Good call, Sokka." Aang leans over the map before glancing at me. "Are you sure that we shouldn't send a letter to Ciara? She should be part of this. I mean, I know that she knows what we're trying to do, but shouldn't she be more involved than this?"

I come back down to earth and shake my head. "She's busy enough trying to revive an entire economy. Bothering her with the minute details would just distract her. Besides…" I run my hand over the map, tracing the line of colonies that runs up and down the west coast of the Earth Kingdom. "The colonies are my problem, not hers. I'll send her a letter to tell her what's going on, and how we're going to get this started, but if I'm going to be dealing with problems in the Earth Kingdom, then she's going to have to look after the Fire Nation. There's only so much that the two of us can split our focus."

Aang frowns. "Are you still having problems here too?"

"Yeah…" I sigh and sit down, leaning my head on my hand. "A hundred years of depending on the colonies has been bad for our economy. The war ending so quickly, and being cut off from the colonies as we're trying to arrange for them to be disbanded hasn't been good for things here. Ciara's been holding meetings to rectify the problem, starting in the islands, but it's going to take time before we can fix all of the problems. And with my attention so divided, there's no way that I can be of any help there."

"I see…" Aang sighs and looks down at the map. "So, where are we going to put all of the colonials? Is there enough room in the city for them?"

And there goes one of the problems I've been faced with. "No, there isn't. At least, not yet. I was thinking that by coordinating with Ciara, we might be able to set up cities around the ports in the islands. There's plenty of room, and having more people there to work would play into her plans for building up the economy. She's talked about encouraging citizens to move there for a while. I just haven't gotten around to it yet."

"Then that's perfect!" A huge grin spreads across Aang's face. "She'll be thrilled if we can get some of the colonials to move there! Knowing her, she's probably got plans for them already. She's always got a plan."

"Yeah…" But I'll still have to send her a letter anyway. She'll need to know when to expect colonials to start arriving.

Sokka rolls the map up and elbows me, an alarming grin on his face. "So, have you and Ciara been up to anything while the rest of us have been flying around the world?"

I know that my uncle would tell me to deal with jibes and jokes calmly, but his insinuation really gets under my skin. "Of course we haven't. I haven't even seen her since the coronation. She's been on Ember Island this whole time, holding her economics meetings and making plans for pulling the islands out of poverty. And I've been busy with the Harmony Restoration Movement. Neither of us has time for a vacation."

Aang cringes. "You haven't seen her in over a month? That's terrible! I know that you're busy, but you should still have some time for your girlfriend!"

"I'm with Aang on this one." Sokka lazily drapes an arm over my shoulders. "If you don't pay any attention to her, she's gonna dump you. I mean, look at Aang. He's always with my sister. Actually, they're together so much that it gives me oogies."

While I'm tempted to ask him what oogies are, it's probably in my best interest if I don't find out, because somehow, I feel like he would feel the need to give me a physical demonstration. I flick off Sokka's arm and edge away from him. "While it would be nice to spend some time with her, we're both busy with our own problems and schedules. All we have time for is sending each other letters." I glance at the door, which is opening slowly. "Speaking of which…"

A messenger lets himself in, carrying a scroll in his hands. "Your Majesty, Her Highness has replied to your letter."

My earlier apprehension disappears as I take the letter. "Thank you, you may go."

I unseal the letter, letting the familiar scent of lavender wash over me as the messenger shows himself out. And Aang glances over my shoulder at the wax seal. "Wow, that's a really pretty seal. I've never seen anything like it before."

"Yeah, it means that the letter is from Ciara. Her seal is pretty unique, it's got a phoenix and a dragon on it, surrounded by vines with lilies on them." After confirming her handwriting, I roll the letter back up, pressing my hand over the seal to hide the scent of lavender oil coming from it.

And my timing is perfect, since Sokka takes that chance to look over my shoulder as well. "So, what does the letter say?"

I keep the letter well away from Sokka's prying eyes. "Nothing important to you. So stop trying to read my private letters. I've been expecting this reply for a few days, and I'd like to read it in peace."

"Alright, alright." Sokka backs off and grabs Aang. "Let's go, looks like lover boy wants to read his girlfriend's letter where we can't see it. Besides, I've got a date with Suki to get to. We heard that there was a fall festival going on, so we thought we'd check out the city."

"Right…wouldn't want you to miss your date, then." Aang looks a little uncomfortable as Sokka drags him out the door and down the hall.

I shake my head wearily. _I hope they don't cause any trouble for the staff…_ The last thing I need is for the staff to come complaining about the two of them running around the palace like a couple of hooligans. And knowing those two, they could cause a whole mess of trouble here.

* * *

But with Aang and Sokka gone, I can retreat to the palace gardens with the new letter. I unroll it to see the familiar, curving handwriting that I've been looking forward to, and the smell of the lavender oil that she mixed in with the wax.

 _ **Dear Zuko,**_

 _ **It sounds to me like you've got as full a plate as I do. But I'm glad that Suki and her friends are keeping you safe. Those ladies are a force to be reckoned with. On the other hand, it must mean that you've been dealing with a little more Sokka than you're comfortable with. Good luck with that.**_

 _ **But your letter came at the perfect time. I'd just finished a meeting when it arrived, so I was in the library when Piandao brought it to me.**_

 _ **I'm glad to hear that you're doing well, though the death threats concern me a little. Of course, if you weren't doing anything, you wouldn't be getting them. So take it as a sign that you're actually getting something done. Or at least getting under someone's skin. There's nothing worse than being ineffective.**_

 _ **Anyway, on the topic of the colonies, I've been wanting to ask about that. I know that you and the Earth King have been planning the dissolution of the colonies. The Harmony Restoration Movement. I was wondering when you're planning to start moving the colonials back, and how. This is a delicate situation, and must be handled with care. I've seen the colonies firsthand, and I don't think that it will be as easy a task as you seem to think. There will be some resistance to suddenly uprooting the settlements, so I urge you to proceed with due caution.**_

Her letter has already astounded me. _How does she already know about all of this? I haven't even sent her a letter about it yet. Wait…_

Uncle's face flashes through my head, and I consider a new possibility. _If Piandao is in her palace, then maybe she's getting her information from the members of the White Lotus. They're everywhere, and they're the ones who are most likely to know what's going on. Uncle said that her father and grandfather were members, so maybe that's why…_

 _ **As for taking a vacation, that sounds like a very nice idea. It'll be nice to relax after we get the clean-up well under way. But somehow, I get the feeling that it's going to take a lot longer than either of us want it to. Of course, you're always welcome here if you want to get away from work. Despite the fact that I live in a volcano, of course.**_

 _ **Although, it's not nearly as dangerous as you seem to think. Sure, I live in a volcano. But there are lava tubes extending throughout the mountain, channeling lava away before it can build up enough pressure to become a problem. The earthbenders who helped build this place made sure to put in all of the best safeguards. And if it still bothers you, then I can always have Toph come visit to make sure that the tunnels are strong enough to handle whatever the volcano tries to throw at me. I promise, I'm safer than you think I am.**_

 _ **Oh, and one last thing. Don't get so frustrated that you tear your hair out. I never got around to telling you this before, you know, since we had more important things going on like trying to save the world and all that, but bald is not a good look for you. Please, never do it again. Every girl who looks at you will thank you for taking my advice. And I don't think the maids would appreciate losing the best piece of eye-candy in the palace.**_

 _ **Ciara**_

I cover my mouth to stifle a laugh. Then I smile and run my fingers through my hair. _I guess that's her way of saying that she likes it better this way. Guess I should make a note of that._

But her words take me back to a time when I said something similar to her. That day that we were at the North Pole, and I had her pinned to the ground. I'd told her that her hair was prettier when it was long. I didn't know what possessed me to say something like that. But looking back, maybe I was taking a liking to her even before I realized that I was falling in love with her. And maybe I just didn't want to admit it.

I roll up the letter carefully, since I would hate to rip it. I plan to put it on the shelf next to the other letter. It may seem silly or sentimental to keep them, but I've already made sure to reserve one of my shelves for any and all letters that she sends to me. Well, the private ones at least. There's no need to put reports there. But a collection of her letters might make me feel better, until we have the chance to see each other again.

A collection with a dedication to lavender.


	4. The First Arrivals

**I'm sorry for taking so damn long with this update, there's just been a lot of thing holding this story back, a particularly nasty block in inspiration, for one. So, I'm giving you all a chapter that I hope will make up in length and content for being gone for so long. I do thank all of you for the enthusiasm, though. Some days it's a bit annoying (like too much of any good thing can be), but some days, it really does help to get the creative juices flowing again.**

* * *

Smiling, I reopen the letter that came by way of the White Lotus yesterday. They've taken quite an interest in guaranteeing the safety of my mail. And that is something that I am perfectly okay with, because they happen to make for some of the most efficient and trustworthy messengers I have ever seen. Though it is likely because some of the most recent pieces of correspondence deal with a lot of political maneuvering that should be kept rather secret, since there are pockets of resistance out there causing a lot of trouble for Zuko.

And some of the letters in question are a mix between politics and social messages. Like the one currently in my lap.

 _ **Dear Ciara,**_

 _ **Once again, thank you for putting your support into this project. You have no idea how much it means to me to have you backing me on this. And I understand your concerns about putting the colonials from the large cities into the smaller villages of the islands, and the problems that they would have in adapting so suddenly. So I've decided to send you the small villages, so that you can expand and grow as needed, without too much extra strain.**_

 _ **I really wish that you could have been at the meeting with the Earth King, but I understand how busy you've been with making the repairs and expansions needed to the villages. Aang and the others also kicked up a bit of a fuss when you didn't show, but they promised that they would pay you a visit when the first ships docked. I would come as well, but I'm worried that if I did, I'd stay for months and never leave.**_

I smirk at the letter in my hands. _So Zuko thinks I would distract him…_ Well, I certainly can't say that he's wrong. We have a rather bad habit of doing that to each other. Besides, we have to focus on putting the world back together for now, social visits can wait for later.

 _ **This letter should beat the ships there by a day or two, but we tried to time it as closely as we could to the suggestions you gave us. You should have plenty of people there willing to work the fields the next few weeks to bring in the harvest. And while I'm still not sure how you've managed to grow so much using volcanic ash, I'm sure that you'll see an even greater increase in the yields next season, with more farmers to help.**_

The letter goes on, telling me about the laws he's working on having passed, the ones he's still having rescinded, little pockets of resistance and treason that he's still trying to root out, and the almost alarming number of walks he seems to take around the palace grounds in order to clear his head. Seriously, Zuko needs to get out of that palace more. He's going to suffocate in that place.

Still, it's good to hear about how he's doing. I always make sure to put copious details about what I'm up to in my letters. It helps me get things out of my mind and onto paper so that I can actually consider them properly. Writing to Zuko is especially good for that, because he understands, at least somewhat, what it's like to be free, but still kind of chained down by responsibility.

But someone has to do it, so why not us?

I smile at the end of the letter and roll it back up. _Love you too, Zuko._ Then, I put it up into the cubbies with the dozen or so other letters that Zuko has sent me. _And when this little fiasco is over, I'm dragging you away for a vacation, even if I have to do it with you kicking and screaming, and hurling fireballs all over the place._

Passing letters back and forth has been all well and good, and I even converted the cubbies in my bedroom just for them. But it's still a little sad to not be able to see my friends every day. Then again, at least I have a break from all of the fights that I end up having to break up. Honestly, they're always finding something to argue over, usually courtesy of Sokka's constant need to be right about everything.

It's been a few months since I came home, but already, I'm getting an insufferable case of wanderlust. Perhaps it's because I spent so long traveling, or it might just be in my nature. In that case, it's only to be expected. Either way, staying in this palace for so long with just my books, plans, and meetings has gotten frustrating and tiresome quickly.

But, it's not as though I can just up and leave. I'm expecting the first few ships of colonials to be docking soon in the harbor. As agreed, some of the ships will be offloading their passengers here, while others will be going on to the mainland, or to various other islands, depending on the needs and wants of the new arrivals.

Thanks to Pakku, Bumi, Iroh, and Piandao, I've been able to keep up to date with everything that's going on in the Earth Kingdom, as well as the Water Tribes. It hasn't been all that long since the war ended, but the people are recovering quickly. The people of the Earth Kingdom have been particularly tenacious in that regard, stubbornly holding on to everything, despite a century of invasion and occupation. I admire them greatly for that.

Still, I have a harbor that is about to get a fair bit of traffic, so it would be best for me to get down there and oversee things to make sure that it all goes smoothly. After all, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

The walk down from the palace is a calm one, and even from here, I can hear some of the noises from the beach, as well as from the harbor. Thankfully, those ships that I hear are cargo ships, rather than the war ships that have been passing through here for the last century.

When I reach the beach, I can feel eyes on me. I'm not dressed formally, since I was never really one for wearing dresses anyway, but everyone who sees me knows who I am. It's a little unsettling sometimes, but I'm slowly getting used it all of the attention.

Some of it…I could definitely do without, though. One of the young men on the island, Chan, I think his name is, shoots me a rather suggestive look, that I suppose is meant to come off as charming. Obviously, he's not aware of what Zuko would do to him if he saw the kinds of looks he shot me. And I get the feeling that it's got nothing to do with who I am, and more to do with the winged tiara nestled in my hair. That's what it comes down to with the rich and the nobility. They always want a way to upgrade their status just a little more.

Ignoring them, I move on to the harbor, where I sit down on the edge of the docks, my legs hanging over the side, and my toes skimming the water, watching the horizon for any sign of ships. You would think that I was a child awaiting a birthday present. But no, I just want to see what kind of people Zuko is sending to the islands for me to meet and live with.

I watch the horizon for a while, enjoying the sea breeze on my skin. I realize that most noble and royal girls would prefer not to let the ocean spray touch their clothes, their hair, their skin, but I don't care in the least. I love the feeling of being outdoors, and I already have scars marring my skin, a little beating from the elements isn't going to do me any real damage.

As the sun begins to set in the sky, I finally spot dark shapes against the horizon. Boats. They have to be the boats of colonials that Zuko sent back from the Earth Kingdom.

And then, in the sky, is a particularly familiar shape. A smile blossoms across my face as I leap to my feet and wave a hand in the air. "Aang!"

The shape in the sky comes closer, revealing exactly who I thought it was. Appa. And right on his head, Aang is perched with a big grin on his face. And from the looks of the other shapes, he's far from alone.

The giant flying bison swoops down from the sky, landing solidly on the beach as I run towards them. And Katara is one of the first out of the saddle and sprinting towards me.

Long brown hair slides through my fingers as Katara and I wrap each other up in a hug. "Damn,I missed you guys so much."

"And we missed you too." She pulls back, smiling. "But on our way here, we saw what you did with this place. It's amazing. That village, where I pretended to be the Painted Lady, I saw the expansions that you commissioned, and all of the new fishing nets that they had."

My cheeks flush slightly as I smile back. "Yeah, well, I thought that one of the first things to do was to get the food market up and rolling again, so it was just a logical step."

"Hey, what about my hug?" I look over Katara's shoulder to see Sokka standing there expectantly. So I roll my eyes and let go of his sister, wrapping him up in the next hug. "Ah…much better."

I snicker lightly. "Jeez, don't let Suki hear you say that. Or Zuko. He might not take it too well."

"Right…" Sokka gingerly extricates himself. "Don't piss off the Fire Lord by demanding intimate hugs from his girlfriend, got it."

"Yeah, that's probably for the best." Aang strides up next, and it's rather astonishing how tall he's getting. "Hello, your Highness."

At that, I roll my eyes. "Right, since when do you call me that?"

He smirks mischievously. "Since never." He reaches out to give me a hug as well. "It's so weird not having you flying around with us on Appa anymore. But I know that the people here need you more than we do."

I sigh and return the hug. "I know…though it doesn't stop me from wishing that I could just disappear from the palace for a couple of months and go traveling the world with you guys again. I'm getting a serious case of wanderlust." When we break apart, I look back out to the water. "So, you all escorted the first ship here?"

Aang nods. "We thought that it would be a good idea to help get a smooth transition."

"Plus, it meant that all of you could come and pay me a visit for the first time in over a month, right?" I'm perfectly aware that we're all very busy trying to clean up the world, but I do wish sometimes that they would all come to visit more frequently. "So where's Toph?" I would have thought that our resident earthbender would have jumped at the chance to come to a volcanic island paradise.

Aang chuckles. "Well, from what I've heard, she'd gone and started up her own bending academy, teaching earthbending."

"Toph is teaching?" I raise an eyebrow at the notion. "That's not something I expected her to do. I guess teaching you must have knocked a few cogs loose or something. I thought she didn't like having to teach people."

"Well, I guess some things change." Aang looks out at the approaching boat. "These colonists are from around where Haru lives, but it's just the civilians, not the guards."

"Good, the last thing I need to deal with is guards getting smart with me." I remember the little incident with blowing up that mining rig. It wasn't pretty.

And that's when Appa decides that it's a great idea to lick me right up the side and cover me almost head to toe in slobber. My clothes are drenched, but thankfully, my hair braided over my opposite shoulder is still perfectly dry, along with the gold headpiece. I'm sure that Appa would hate to try and eat that.

Shaking my head, I pat the big old bison on the head. "Hello Appa, I missed you too. And thank you for the reminder, I will take a bath as soon as I get home."

That sends the other three into fits of laughter, and Momo jumps onto my head, settling himself between the wings of my tiara.

Thankfully, before any other hilarious incidents are able to occur, the ship makes its way into the port to dock. And the scramble on board ends when the stairs descend, and what looks like the captain of the ship makes his way down the stairs and onto the docks. I catch his eye and nod. "Looks like it's show time."

Aang nods, and he walks by my side as I head back to the docks, eyeing the people looking over the side. "They've had a long trip to get here…"

"I know." I step onto the docks and approach the captain. "Welcome to Ember Island. I presume that you are the captain of this ship?"

The elderly man nods, frowning at me. "I was told that I would be meeting the princess here. Where is she?"

I raise an eyebrow slightly, before a wry smile crosses my face. "You're looking at her. I am Ciara."

He looks me up and down, his eyes lingering on my very informal clothing. "I…see. Do you have a representative I could speak to regarding relocation of the colonists on the ship?"

Doing my best not to be offended, I take a quick breath and continue to look him in the eye. "I was planning on having the first few batches of colonists take up residence on the other side of the island, where there is good agricultural land supplied by both ocean sediment and volcanic ash. I have already had several dozen buildings constructed, and there is raw material enough to put the people to work immediately building whatever else they need."

The captain blinks in surprise. "I…I see. Your advisors must be quite skilled to have put together such a plan."

"Well, I do have skilled advisors, but they were not the ones who put together the plan. I was." I will not let this man underestimate me.

Aang nearly laughs beside me. "She's a lot smarter than you think she is. She's got plans for every single one of the islands, and then some. The last time I saw them, they almost filled up a whole room. And the number's probably only grown in the last month."

Then, I look up to the people on the ship. "You can disembark now. There is room for all of you, I promise." I made sure that there was enough room in those few dozen buildings to house about three hundred people. About three small colonies' worth of Fire Nation citizens.

The people look rather skittish, but slowly, they start to come down the stairs and file out onto the docks. And as I usher them forwards, they start to make their way out onto the beach.

Imove from the docks to the beach, leading them away from the ship and onto relatively solid ground. "Alright, I've arranged for transportation in balloons to the village site that is still under construction. Once there, the craftsmen among you should find plenty of work to be done, the fishermen should find satisfactory access to the water to bring in the first catch, and the farmers should find the fields already tilled and ready for planting."

The people mutter among themselves, looking warily at the balloons further down the beach. But I put this plan together myself, which means that there is absolutely nothing for any of them to be afraid of. The balloons are fueled and ready, and will be piloted by a few rather talented members of the White Lotus.

Thankfully, Sokka decides to hurry this along a little. "Alright, everybody who wants to see their new home, come with me!" And he heads off towards the balloons, tugging along a couple of members of the crowd.

At the sight of their people being led away, others follow suit, filing towards the balloons. Some look apprehensive, others look rather excited as they start skipping across the sand and towards their ride to their new home.

A few of the crowd actually approach me, bowing and offering thanks, whereas most just glance at me, smiling or nodding to convey thanks. Honestly, it's going far more painlessly than I expected.

It takes the better part of a half hour to get all of the colonists and their belongings from the ship to the large balloons, but somehow, through some coordination between me, Sokka, Katara, and Aang, we manage it, and the first of the balloons takes off towards the western coast of the island.

Once the second, third, fourth, and fifth balloons are in the air, the four of us watch as they rise up over the beach, heading over the small mountains dotted with trees. I sigh in relief at the sight. "Well, that went a lot better than I expected it would."

"Yeah, but at least now, we have an idea about how to do this, right?" Aang looks to me happily. "We might actually be able to pull off this Harmony Restoration Movement."

The Harmony Restoration Movement…a plan made to remove the Fire Nation colonies from the Earth Kingdom and restore harmony to the four nations. I nod in agreement. "I just hope that the rest of it goes this smoothly."

Sokka yells at us from over on Appa. "Hey, are you two coming or what!? We need a vacation, and there's a palace just waiting for us up on the mountain!"

Laughing, I turn towards the idiot genius on Appa's back. "And since when was it decided that you all were crashing at my place?"

"Since we left the Earth Kingdom!" I should have known. Of course Sokka would use this escort trip as a way to come and visit me for a few days. Or a couple of weeks. Hey, they might even stay the better part of a month.

Well, I do need to get home and take a bath anyway. "Alright, let's go!" I race across the sand, leaping up Appa's side and climbing into the saddle as Aang takes his place on Appa's head. "Yip yip!"

Appa takes off, already making his way towards the palace. He must be looking forward to this vacation as much as the others.

* * *

A couple of hours later, with my wet hair pulled up in a towel to dry, I pull out a quill and a piece of parchment. For a few moments, I stare at the blank page, not entirely certain where to begin. Then, the words just come pouring out as I smile with a sense of dry humor.

 _ **Dear Zuko,**_

 _ **The first batch of colonists arrived today. The captain was a bit shocked to see that I was, well, me. Though I blame the fact that he expected to see a prim and proper princess in formal robes, more than anything else. But honestly, those robes are difficult to move in, and completely inappropriate for being worn on a beach.**_

 _ **I sent the colonists to the western coast right away, where they should have everything they need to turn the shell of a village that has been constructed for them into something amazing and alive. I've given them their tools, now, they need to make something of it for themselves. Best to foster that Independence now rather than later.**_

 _ **Aang, Sokka, and Katara will be staying here for a week and a half. They might even still be here by the time you get this letter. Maybe you should come by and visit as well, it's been a while since we've all seen each other, after all. And I really do miss seeing you…**_

I smile at the words, then brush the end of the quill against my lips thoughtfully. "Now…what else shall I write…?" There is so much more room on the page, and so many thoughts that I have yet to commit to paper.

 _What do I say this time…and what should I say next time?_


End file.
